


Gabe/William Stepbrothers AU

by rsadelle



Category: Bandom, Cobra Starship, The Academy Is...
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Step-siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-06-15
Updated: 2009-06-15
Packaged: 2017-10-26 04:37:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/278761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rsadelle/pseuds/rsadelle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You know what the world needs? A story where Gabe's dad marries William's mom, and there are wacky hijinks and eventually true love. (Actual ficcish outline light on wacky hijinks, slightly heavier on true love.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Gabe/William Stepbrothers AU

**Author's Note:**

> So one day I woke up and thought, "You know what the world needs? A story where Gabe's dad marries William's mom, and there are wacky hijinks and eventually true love." And then I wrote 1700 words of plot bunny over ten hours via [Twitter](http://twitter.com/rsadelle). My dream would be for someone to write that as an actual epic story with more wacky hijinks. (This is light on wacky hijinks, slightly heavier on true love.)

Like: Bill's still in high school, but Gabe's in college in New Jersey, which is why they don't actually meet until just before the wedding.

They don't even spend much time together at first, because everyone's busy with the wedding and Gabe's catching up with his brother.

Bill only really notices him at the reception when Gabe's replaced his tux's bow tie with a wide, purple tie and a neon green snake tie pin. Even then, he's just kind of this weird guy, even if he is staying with them for the summer, and Bill's busy with his _music_ , okay?

Bill thinks he's the only one home, which is the only reason he has his door open. He doesn't notice Gabe until he says, "Not bad, kid."

Bill bristles because, seriously? _Seriously_?

But Gabe steps into the room and says, "Have you thought about?" and hums part of the song. "Play the chorus again."

Bill does, and Gabe sings it this time, Bill's words but clipping off a syllable here, letting a note linger there.

"Now you," Gabe says, and Bill sings it the way Gabe did with Gabe harmonizing in the background. It makes the song ten times better.

Gabe gets a call and leaves, but they do it again over the summer, just playing music together and making Bill's songs better.

In August, Bill gets a gig, just a coffee shop, and Nick's going to bring a drum, so it'll be almost like a real band.

"If you want," he says to Gabe, "you could, you know, you know all the songs."

Gabe grins at him and says, "Billy, I'd be happy to be the Supremes to your Diana Ross."

The whole family comes, all of them clapping and proud, and Bill thinks it's a pretty damn good debut for a couple of teenagers.

Bill goes with his parents when they take Gabe to the airport to go back to Jersey. Gabe catches him up in an unexpected hug.

"I expect you to call me," he says. "Be good. Say no to drugs."

Bill laughs, because he's been awake when Gabe's come home after partying.

"I mean it," Gabe says sternly. "Next summer," he promises. "You keep your grades up and don't give my dad a hard time, and we'll party."

Bill didn't really think Gabe meant it when he said to call him, but when he calls his dad, he almost always asks to talk to Bill too. And sometimes he just calls Bill. "Put me on speakerphone and play me what you've been writing."

Gabe stays in Jersey over Christmas break, but the box of presents he sends - all messily wrapped - includes a couple of CDs for Bill.

Gabe gets out for the summer before Bill, so his dad picks him up at the airport, and he's already there when Bill gets home from school. He catches Bill up in the same kind of hug he left him with. Bill's not sure if this is his usual way of hugging or if it's just for him.

"You're taller," Gabe says. And then he grins and adds, "Easier to sneak you into clubs. This summer's gonna rock."

Gabe sneaks him into shows, uses his fake ID to buy them both beer, gets them weed, and, on one memorable occasion, some X. Gabe also brought his bass with him, and they spend a lot of time in Bill's room playing music and writing and rewriting songs.

Somewhere near the end of the summer they go out for pizza and run into some people Bill knows from school.

"Your stepbrother," one of the girls whispers to Bill, "is seriously hot."

Bill doesn't quite know what to do with that, so he just shrugs and heads back to the table he's sharing with Gabe.

Gabe goes back to Jersey again at the end of the summer, and this year Bill doesn't hesitate to call him at least once a week.

Sometime in the spring, Bill starts hanging out with this older guy. Not, like, Gabe older, but, you know, a senior. It's not like a thing, but they hook up pretty much every weekend, and the guy has connections for some sweet weed.

Gabe's home for the summer for, like, three days when the guy comes over, and Gabe takes one look at the guy and just *knows*. All he says about it, later, is "I knew you were getting laid." He ruffles Bill's hair, and he's never felt so young.

The next time he sees the guy, he says, "Hey, so, I don't think we should do this anymore."

The guy scowls at him, but he's going away to college in the fall, so it wasn't going to last anyway.

On a Saturday night a couple of weeks later, he and Gabe are smoking up in his room, and Gabe asks about the guy. Bill just shrugs, and Gabe props himself up to look down at him.

"You didn't have to stop getting laid because I'm here for the summer."

"He's going to college in the fall," Bill says. Gabe looks at him for a while, and then lies back and they smoke in silence for a while.

Gabe goes back for his last year at school. Bill keeps up with his music, makes connections in the scene, and refuses to feel lonely.

Gabe comes to Chicago for a last summer to figure out what to do with his life. Mostly this means getting high with Bill.

"You could stay here," Bill says one night when they're high and drunk. "Mom and your dad would probably let you."

Gabe reaches over and actually ruffles his hair. "Nah, man. I think I might go back to Jersey. Get a job, play some music."

Bill wants to tell him he could do all that in Chicago, but Gabe treats him more like a friend and less like a kid now, so he doesn't.

Gabe goes back to Jersey at the end of July. Bill meets some other guys and starts a band, a real one this time.

Gabe has a band too, and they talk about what it's like to practice, find gigs, play for audiences of people who aren't family.

Bill's mom wants him to focus more on school and less on music. They fight for a couple of months, until suddenly they don't.

"I told my dad yelling wasn't going to stop you," Gabe admits when Bill tells him about it. Bill's not sure if he's grateful or annoyed.

Gabe borrows a friend's car and drives out for Bill's graduation. Bill's managed to get The Academy a gig that same weekend.

Bill comes off stage to Gabe grinning *so hard* at him. "You rocked," Gabe says, and his hug is as tight as his smile is big.

Bill has a flash of memory of a girl saying, "Your stepbrother is seriously hot." He stops thinking and introduces Gabe to the band.

They get big enough to go on tour, a cramped van, lots of alcohol and not enough sleep. They play Jersey. Gabe slings an arm around Bill after the show and doesn't let him go. Bill crashes with Gabe that night.

In the morning, Gabe makes coffee and absently presses a kiss to Bill's temple. Bill makes a noise. Gabe just laughs and hands over a mug.

The first time he really kisses Gabe, it's three days before Christmas under mistletoe in the doorway of their parents' kitchen.

Gabe laughs into the kiss, but when they pull away, he must see what Bill's been trying to keep off his face.

He strokes Bill's hair. "Billy," he says. It's soft, but it's a no. He presses a kiss to Bill's forehead and leaves him alone.

They get another tour, a bigger one, and Gabe's ready for a change, so he comes along to be their merch guy and all-around errand runner.

Bill still gets a thrill out of playing new crowds, but he's sick of the van, sick of always being stuck together with the rest of the band.

And then, one night, Gabe catches him in a corner backstage and kisses him. "You're amazing. You were meant to do this," Gabe tells him.

Bill whimpers a little, and clings to Gabe's neck until Gabe makes him go out and sign autographs.

He wakes up from a nap in the van the next day with Gabe's fingers in his hair. "Come sing with us tonight," he says impulsively.

Gabe laughs, but agrees, and introduces himself to the crowd as "the Supremes to Billy's Diana Ross."

They make out again after the show, and Bill finally has ask, "You said no before."

"Ah, Billy," Gabe says, tucking a lock of Bill's hair back behind his ear, "it wasn't our time."

Bill's working up to telling his mom about it while she makes dinner the next time they're home, but Gabe comes up to him and kisses his neck.

Bill's mom and Gabe's dad both freak out a little. Gabe tells them fighting this isn't going to do any good either.

They have to sleep in separate rooms, which they've always done at home anyway, so it's not that weird.

Bill comes down in the morning just in time to hear Gabe calmly telling their parents, "We're both adults, and I love him."

He can't help it. He throws himself at Gabe, and Gabe catches him and laughs into the kisses Bill is pressing against his mouth.

Their parents are still watching them, so Bill stands on his own two feet, Gabe's arm still around him, and says, "I love him. I'm happy." Bill's mom is softening, he can tell, and the way Gabe's squeezing him close means his dad is too.

They have to talk about it for way too long after that, but their parents are eventually okay with it. They don't get to share a room in their house, though, until after they're living together in their own place.

Bill has Gabe and his music, and sometimes he has Gabe on stage with him.

And they lived happily ever after.

The end.


End file.
